A/N: Those lucky, lucky Palladinos own everything and I own nothing, because I lost the auction, sigh.

Days.

It was several more days until she would see him again, but on the drive home, Rory kept thinking about Tristan. He had heard her, he had thought she hated him. She had probably contributed to his ending up in military school. And yet he wasn't angry at her, he didn't resent her for ruining his life. They were going to be friends. She smiled. Friends with Tristan. They had tried and failed once, but this time—this time she was sure it would work.

She pulled the car into the driveway and got out the bags of junk food. By staying away this summer she and Lorelai had missed too much, and she knew it was all her fault, so she was coming home every chance she got. Not that a few movie nights could possibly make up for the time they had lost, but she wanted to do her best.

"Mom! I'm home! And I brought Red Vines!" she yelled, trying to balance the bags as she pulled the door closed behind her. "Mom!"

"Rory! Rory, my love, my angel, my favorite daughter!" the cry drifted out of the kitchen,

"I'm your only daughter," Rory yelled back, smiling, as she headed into the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"Want? Why do you assume I want anything? I am hurt! I am insulted! I am—"

"You are full of it!" Rory backed into the kitchen and turned to put the bags on the table, where Lorelai was sitting with a cup of coffee. "You are—you are wearing my favorite sweater! And it has a big stain on it! Mom!" Rory dumped the bags on the table and put her hands on her hips.

"What!"

"Favorite sweater!"

"But—it wasn't my fault! I was wearing it because I needed to look responsible for the meeting I had this afternoon, and you know you're the one with the responsible clothing, so I borrowed it—"

"I don't think it's called borrowing if you just take it without asking!"

"—I borrowed it and then Sookie ruined Michele's shoes and when I got off the phone he was chasing her around the dining room and when I tried to head him off he accidentally ran into one of the waiters and knocked him down and his tray went flip! Up into the air! And then it landed on me and on the sweater. But I had already looked responsible so it all worked out ok, right?"

"OK! O! K? you ruined my favorite sweater! Mom!"

"But I can make it up to you!"

"I don't see how?"

"Well, I could show you the pictures of Michele in his ruined shoes wearing his ruined suit?"

"Not sufficient."

"I could—not show you the picture of Luke in his 'suit' that we took last night—"

"Mom!"

"Ok, fine, I could… show you the check from your father that just arrived, thus freeing us from the tyranny of Friday night dinners in perpetuity!" Lorelai grinned and snapped the check between her hands.

"Mom!" Rory jumped around the table and hugged her. "Dad came through. I knew he would"

"Ah-ha! I knew the sweater wasn't that important to you!" Lorelai grinned as Rory hugged her and then straightened. "So, you got all the junk? We've got a lot of movies to get through tonight!"

"Ready."

The two of them arranged the living room for maximum movie night convenience, cooked the tater tots and the fries, and putting everything else in bowls. They settled in front of the TV, and Lorelai picked up the remote. She turned on the TV, pressed play, and then pressed pause and turned to Rory.

"You are sneaky! Did you really think we could go directly to the movie watching without any discussion?"

"Discussion?" Rory asked, confused.

"Um, yes!" Lorelai grimaced. "I believe a former nemesis has made a reappearance? And you mother is owed a long story? About the 'us'?"

"Oh. Yeah. Right. I told you, we talked, we apologized, and everything is good now."

"Ok, Rory, seriously! That is not a story! That is like, a 'st'. Maybe even just an 's-'. I want details, I want emotions, I want expressions, I want the full Monty—no forget I said that, that would be too disturbing. I want the non-director's-cut-of-Alexander length feature film. Tristan? Talk!"

"Ok, ok, geez! I walked into class and there he was. I was a little shocked, but after class I asked if he wanted to get coffee and catch up, so we did."

"Wait, you asked him? You really do want a good grade in that class!" Lorelai winked.

"Mom! We just talked. I said I never hated him, and he said he was sorry for being a jerk, and that military school wasn't that bad, and… it was nice." Rory shrugged. "Do you want a re-enactment or something?"

"While the offer is tempting… I'm going to have to refuse. Perhaps a rain check?" Lorelai made a face. "So, was it weird?"

"I don't know that I'd say weird. I think—I think I really hurt him back at Chilton. All that time I thought he was just trying to make a conquest, and I think he really liked me." Rory looked pensive. "I hate thinking that something I said, especially something I didn't even mean, could have that effect. And I'm kind of afraid- he started acting up that summer. What if it was my fault?"

"Oh, honey! Even if he was really upset by it, what happened to Tristan is NOT your fault." Lorelai hugged Rory quickly. "He was messed up before you got there, as demonstrated by the way he treated you. Growing up how he did, he barely had a chance. And you had no way of knowing! I remember you talking about this kid, it sounded like he was trying to make you miserable. And sure, looking back it's easy to see he was doing a second-grade-pulling-pigtails thing, but at the time, it felt like garden variety meanness."

"I guess…"

"Completely. You didn't do anything you did out of meanness—you didn't think he would hear, and you didn't intend for him to know. You can't go feeling guilty. Do you think you'll be ok in class together?"

Rory sighed. "Yeah, I think so. He's supposed to be an incredible TA—he's really good at Arabic, it's why they let him TA as a junior—so I should learn a lot. But I feel a little awkward. I mean, now that I know this, about how he felt, isn't it weird? To know my TA used to want me?"

"Well, it's not the normal situation, I give you that. But do you think it will really be a problem?"

"I guess not."

"So, " Lorelai grinned, "is he still as hot as he used to be? I remember Paris talking about him like he was better than Brad Pitt and George Clooney combined!"

Rory grinned. "Well… yeah. He's gorgeous. He always was, and now that he's not a big jerk, it's a lot more obvious. Military school was good for him, I think- it's almost like he's forgotten how good looking he is."

"Why Rory!" Lorelai leaned forward. "It almost sounds like you were checking him out!"

Rory crossed her arms and leaned back. "What of it? I'm single, he's single, I can look if I want to!"

"But he's your TA! If you went out you could use your body to make him give you better grades! Dirty! And kinky, come to think of it. Eeewww, don't you go being kinky, now, it makes Mommy feel sick."

"Mom!" Rory was shocked. But at the same time, the idea of getting that close to Tristan was kind of intriguing. 'You know I deserve an A on this paper.' 'I really don't think you do my dear.' 'I'll bet I can convince you…' 'WHAT are you doing with your hands!' 'I'm just showing you how appreciativeI am of all your hard work… it is very hard isn't it.'

"Hello? Earth to Rory? I'm sure whatever you're thinking about, Mommy doesn't want to know. Are you ready for the movie?"

"Yeah. Ready for the movie. Good." Only a couple of days until she saw Tristan again.